Jadie
Disclaimer: Not mine and all that jazz.
A/N: Ok I meant to have this written and posted Wednesday night but Wednesday afternoon right after I posted the last chapter I went out to run some errands and wrecked my car. Slush is not my friend. I luckily walked away from the accident with only a few scrapes but as it's my first accident, it's taken me a couple days to really feel up to doing much of anything. Sorry for the delay!
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CHAPTER 15: Stars—"… a reminder of future hope and past nightmares…"
The tape ended with a small click into the all-encompassing silence. Megan's face was drained of all color and she sat in shock, numbly looking at the tape recorder, the bearer of such a desperate message. Colby sat across the table from her, appearing to be extremely uncomfortable, his eyes were fixed sideways down at the floor, looking but not really seeing.
David felt himself want to move into denial, that no, it wasn't over yet—and then with surprising ease, he let himself do just that. It was an easy decision—he would be able to act best if he still believed that Don had a chance. And there was a chance, albeit a small one, that Don would be ok—and that, that, David thought, is what I have to act on.
David broke the frigid silence, demandingly and with determination.
"OK, Don is in some serious trouble here," David began as Colby and Megan both snapped their attention to David, "We need to find that car, our suspect and Don," David paused taking in the defeated appearance of both Megan and Colby, "We aren't going to find them if we sit around here thinking about how screwed up this is—this isn't over yet so don't you act like it is…" David spoke angrily and was rewarded with renewed determination from Colby and a defiant look from Megan.
"Right," Colby nodded, "I'll get going on that car—see how many registered Buicks there are and how many are registered to six foot blonds named Nadine…"
"And I'll take looking for the suspect; I'll check all the databases and pull all the crooks who fit that description—if we're lucky she'll have a record." Megan stood up.
"I'll widen the search for Don and the witness—depending on how seriously injured Don is, he may have gotten to a hospital but had been unable to provide his identification—his wallet and badge were left in the SUV." David looked at the two other agents in the eyes and nodded a last time.
"Let's go."
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Don stopped in the side alley, his hand clutching the gunshot wound on the right side of his chest. If it had been one more inch to the right, it would have just skimmed him, but luck had not been with Don. He leaned against the rusty red brick wall, gasping for air, feeling fluid in his lungs and he knew that the bullet had probably nicked his lung. Don glanced down at his stoic companion.
Jadie had moved into survival mode—she was no longer the same traumatized girl that Don had met at the FBI office. She was the prey of a deadly hunter, and she knew it. Her eyes were always moving and she was fully alert. Her emotions that had begun to resurface under Don's compassionate care were now all but shut down. The only hint of emotion hat Don saw now was when she reached to support him when he stumbled, weak and weary from blood loss.
Don leaned his head back against the wall and felt the grainy texture of the cold brick against his head. He closed his eyes. They had been moving all afternoon and most of the night, sticking to back alleyways, hemmed in by the ruthless killer that pursued them. Don was almost positive that they had lost the damned Buick now, but he still wasn't sure whether he wanted to risk moving out in the open. He knew that if he were wrong, the bitch wouldn't hesitate to blow both him and the child away. Don couldn't even defend them—he'd run out of ammunition during the gunfight at the intersection. Even so, they were dangerous to her now, and she wouldn't stop for anything until the threat they posed was eliminated.
Don opened his eyes and studied Jadie's appearance. A bullet had grazed her right shoulder and her clothes were now grungy and worn, their obscene colors now dulled in a short length of time. Her small face was pure animal instinct, like a loyal retriever, she followed him without question, her senses always alert for danger.
Don attempted to stand but then fell back against the wall—his strength was fading rapidly. Jadie stood beside him, offering her left shoulder as support as she had done periodically during their flight, when Don felt dizzy or weak. This made up Don's mind. He had to make sure Jadie made it out of all this alive. She trusted him and he would be damned if he was going to let her down. Don pushed himself off the wall once more and put his right hand on Jadie's uninjured shoulder. She supported him for the first few steps until the weakness passed then Don took her hand in his and led her down the winding alleyways, trying not to let fear pervade his chest as he noted that the stars gleamed distantly above them, nearly invisible to an observer on the city street, a reminder of future hope and past nightmares.
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A/N: Short chapter I know, I'm still working on exactly how I want to end this fic, but I felt bad leaving you guys in suspense like I did so I had to write at least a little something. Might be a couple days before the next chapter or two is posted, I'll try not to take too long. Anyway please R&R!